Recalling existing legal obligations States committed to in the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (1979), specifically highlighting the international legal obligation of States to:

• "ensure to women, on equal terms with men, the right: (...) (b) To participate in the formulation of government policy and the implementation thereof and to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government" (Art. 7 CEDAW); and

• "take all appropriate measures to ensure to women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, the opportunity to represent their Governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organizations" (Art. 8 CEDAW).

The following proposal offers recommendations on holding States accountable to these obligations by suggesting ways in which gender mainstreaming could become institutionalized. Despite identified benchmark goals by a number of organizations and national ministries to increase female representation in their organizations, the internalization of female and other marginalized groups representation in decision-making bodies remains lower than desired. In order to move away from a "check-the-box" mentality and to increase overall representation in decision-making groups in the long-term, we suggest implementing measures to institutionalize gender mainstreaming in programmatic and departmental activities.

Suggested Steps and Recommendations Towards Institutionalizing Gender Mainstreaming:

• Increase gender awareness by making gender mainstreaming and policy courses mandatory for all personnel, especially those in leadership and senior management positions, as well as individuals joining the diplomatic service, diplomatic corps and foreign ministry;

• Establish a Gender Coach program modeled on the SEESAC approach under EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/2356 to boost gender-responsiveness among different departments and foster commitment among senior management;

• Encourage the establishment of gender advisor positions within each department and policy area, and give gender advisor’s decision-making authority as well as allocate necessary resources to the role and work of the gender advisor;

• Develop organizational/national/international guidelines for how to develop gender mainstreaming policies. Guidelines should be prepared through an intersectional and government-wide approach;

• Strengthen female and other marginalized groups participation in decision-making bodies (at the political, economic and organizational levels) by encouraging such individuals to apply to positions in the relevant fields; enhance awareness of opportunities to become involved through educational seminars, workshops or career fairs; promote mentoring and scholarship programs; encourage intersectional/interdepartmental approaches; and involve the media in educational efforts and promoting participation;

• Develop mechanisms to establish institutional memory on gender mainstreaming policies by creating archives as baseline references;

• Adopt measurable and comparable quantitative data, such as quotas, and make sure the measures are applied across all departments and divisions, as well as across all staffing levels;

• Compose an advisory group, including women and marginalized individuals as members, to oversee implementation and work closely with Gender Coaches and Gender Advisors;

• Engage men and boys as positive agents for change in promoting gender mainstreaming and inclusion of women;

• Produce an annual report to be circulated at least internally on how departments and heads of departments are doing in terms of their goals and commitments related to gender and the development of gender-sensitive policies. Encourage friendly competition among departments throughout the year and an exchange of best practices.